Golf ball manufacturers make substantial efforts to maximize the aerodynamic efficiency of golf balls, though they are closely controlled by golf's national governing body, the United States Golf Association (U.S.G.A.). One U.S.G.A. requirement is that golf balls have aerodynamic symmetry. Aerodynamic symmetry allows the ball to fly with a very small amount of variation no matter how the golf ball is placed on the tee or ground. In order to improve aerodynamic symmetry, many dimple patterns are based, for example, on geometric shapes, the five Platonic Solids, and the thirteen Archimedean Solids. Because the number of symmetric solid plane systems useful in designing dimple patterns is limited, it can be difficult to devise new symmetric patterns. Moreover, dimple patterns based on some geometric shapes result in less than optimal surface coverage and other disadvantageous dimple arrangements.
Thus, there is a continuing need for novel dimple patterns incorporating unique combinations of dimple properties such as size, shape, number, volume, or arrangement, in order to provide a golf ball that has distinctive characteristics.